Grace-Ella

by Sharon Marie Jones

  ‘What are you going to do now? Cast a spell on me and turn me into a toad?’ laughed Amelia. ‘You’re such a loser, Gross-Ella.’

  That was it! Grace-Ella was not going to be ridiculed by Amelia any more. She was going to show her that there was something she could do. Something she was good at. She might not be able to put a spell on Amelia – rule two – but she could put a spell on the library…

  Taking a deep breath and mustering up every ounce of courage she had, Grace-Ella waved her wand in the air and with a tremor in her voice, spoke the magic words, ‘Vampire bats and witches’ hats, give us a howl and a scream. Ghosts and ghouls come out to play, tonight on Halloween.’

  Amelia sniggered. ‘You’re such a weirdo. I suppose you think you’re a real witch —’

  The library door slammed shut, making Amelia jump. Holding her hand steady, Grace-Ella pointed her wand at one of the bookshelves. A book flew into the air, landing at Amelia’s feet. As she bent to pick it up, another one landed with a thud next to her … then another … then another. She turned her head this way and that, as book after book flew through the air.

  ‘I’ve had enough of your stupid games,’ said Amelia, beginning to look uneasy. ‘I’m going to get Mrs Nag. You wait till she sees this mess.’

  Shoving Grace-Ella out of the way, she pulled on the door handle. It didn’t budge.

  ‘Open this door right now,’ she snapped.

  Feeling braver every second, Grace-Ella looked around the room. What could she do next?

  She pointed her wand at the chandelier hanging from the ceiling. It began to sway dramatically. The room went dark. The light of the full moon shining in through the windows gave the library a shadowy glow.

  Panicked, Amelia tried to turn on the lights, but nothing happened.

  ‘I don’t know how you’re doing this, but I want you to stop right now,’ she said, her eyes darting around the room.

  ‘Stop? You want me to stop? What about all the times I’ve asked you to stop being nasty to me and Fflur? Have you ever listened? Have you ever stopped? No, you haven’t. And I’m not stopping either. I’m just getting started.’

  She scanned the room again. Settling on the fireplace, she pointed her wand and out flew a cloud of bats. Amelia covered her head with her arms.

  ‘Help! Get me out of here!’ she screamed as she pounded on the door with her fists.

  But Grace-Ella was determined to teach Amelia a lesson, once and for all.

  ‘You think being mean and horrid is something to be proud of,’ she said. ‘But upsetting everyone doesn’t make you look clever. Picking on others doesn’t make you smart and strong. You’re the loser, Amelia.’

  Feeling more in control than she’d ever been in Amelia’s company, she spun in a circle and waved her wand in the air. The library’s sash windows shot open and started to bang up and down. The painting above the fireplace of the school’s founding headmistress swayed from side to side. The chandelier creaked as it swung to and fro. Books somersaulted through the air. The bats flapped wildly around the room. Amelia yelled and frantically shook the door handle.

  ‘I did warn you, Amelia,’ said Grace-Ella. ‘I did tell you that you wouldn’t get away with being horrid for ever.’

  Hearing Mrs Nag’s heels click-clacking down the corridor, Grace-Ella quickly slipped her wand back in her pocket and clicked her fingers three times to uncast the spells. She hid behind the shelves with her two friends. She was shaking – using all that magic had really taken it out of her. She was thrilled it had worked and was certain that Amelia would think twice before being nasty from now on.

  But what was going to happen? Was she going to be in trouble? Was Mrs Nag going to find out what she’d done and have her expelled? What would her mam say? She’d probably get grounded for the rest of her life at least. And what about the Witch Council? She hadn’t broken a rule … had she?

  Mrs Nag was sure to find them cowering behind the bookshelf once Amelia told her what had happened. What were they going to do?

  Grace-Ella quickly decided. ‘Listen. We can’t get caught. We’ll be in huge trouble. There’s nowhere to hide in here. There’s a shrinking spell I know … well, I’ve never actually tried it but I don’t think we have a choice. Are you ready?’

  Fflur and Bedwyr nodded nervously. Grace-Ella raised her magic wand. ‘Wave my wand with a blink and a wink, tap three times and make us shrink.’

  With a spark from the wand, the three friends shrunk to the size of furry hamsters and hopped up to hide on top of the books, just as the library door flew open. Amelia fell into the corridor, landing at Mrs Nag’s feet. She grabbed onto her teacher’s ankles.

  ‘Good grief, Amelia. Whatever’s the matter with you?’

  ‘Save me … please … Grace-Ella … a witch … casting spells…’

  ‘What are you talking about?’ asked Mrs Nag.

  ‘Grace-Ella … a witch…’

  ‘Amelia, I often praise you for your imagination when you’re writing stories, but I think you’re letting it run a little wild this evening.’

  ‘No … in there … Grace-Ella … she’s a witch.’ She clung tighter to Mrs Nag’s legs.

  ‘Amelia Cadwallader, please let go of me and get up off the floor. I’ve had quite enough nonsense this evening.’

  Mrs Nag hauled Amelia up onto her feet.

  ‘But look … in there … bats and books everywhere… It was Grace-Ella, she’s a witch…’

  ‘That’s enough,’ Mrs Nag said, turning on the light in the library. ‘Look, there’s nothing in here. Grace-Ella is over in the gym with all the others, I expect. I’ve sent everyone over there to clean up before your parents arrive. Whatever’s got into you?’

  Stepping slowly into the room, Amelia saw that the books were standing neatly on the shelves; the windows were shut tight; the chandelier and the painting were hanging still, and there wasn’t a bat or Grace-Ella in sight.

  ‘But … I swear … I’m telling the truth…’ she stuttered.

  ‘Not another word, Amelia. I don’t want to hear any more of this ridiculous nonsense. There are no such things as witches and I expect better from you. Now hurry along to the gym. I’ve had quite enough for one night!’

  With that, she marched back down the corridor, Amelia trailing quickly behind. Clicking her fingers three times to undo the spell, Grace-Ella, Fflur and Bedwyr returned to their normal size.

  ‘I can’t believe I made the shrinking spell work,’ said Grace-Ella.

  ‘You are amazingly amazing,’ said Bedwyr.

  Fflur looked a little worried.

  ‘What’s the matter?’ Grace-Ella asked. ‘We did it. We taught Amelia a lesson. You should be smiling.’

  ‘But I think she had a real fright,’ said Fflur. ‘Do you think she’ll be OK?’

  ‘Oh, don’t worry,’ Grace-Ella said. ‘She’ll be back to her old self on Monday. But perhaps she won’t be so mean to us now that she thinks I’m a real witch.’

  ‘Weren’t you supposed to keep it a secret?’ asked Bedwyr. ‘Once Amelia gets over her shock, she’ll blurt it out to everyone.’

  ‘Who’s going to believe her? How can she prove it? You heard Mrs Nag. There are no such things as witches.’

  Grace-Ella smiled. It didn’t look like she was going to get into trouble after all. And she was sure that she hadn’t broken any of the Council’s rules. She felt proud of herself for finally having been brave enough to stand up to the school bully.

  ‘Well, witch or not,’ said Fflur, ‘you’re the best friend anyone could magic up.’

  ‘Come on,’ said Grace-Ella, ‘I know a clean-up spell to sort the hall out before they come back from the gym.’

  One by one the girls left the party to meet their waiting parents. The excitable chatter was incessant as they said how St Winifred’s must be haunted. The quietest girl was Amelia, who was standing trembling at the front entrance, glancing back at the library and jumping with every little sound
.

  When the girls had gone safely home, Mrs Nag and the other teachers returned to the hall to get started on cleaning up. But to their astonishment, they found that the floor was gleaming; the food had been placed in the bins and the bags tied up ready to be taken out; the tables had been wiped clean; the chairs were all stacked neatly against the walls and the decorations had all been taken down and were packed into their boxes.

  ‘I can’t believe my eyes,’ said Mrs Nag. ‘Tonight has been the strangest Halloween ever.’

  Chapter Thirteen

  A Witch’s Life

  Monday morning dawned bright and crisp. The school week bustled by and the excitement of the previous Friday slowly began to fade. Amelia tried to convince everyone that Grace-Ella was a witch, but no one believed her and they quickly tired of hearing her. Not wanting everyone to think that she was silly, Amelia finally gave up, but made sure that she kept out of Grace-Ella’s way.

  Mrs Nag seemed to have a new spring in her step and would give a jaunty little hop and skip when walking down the corridor. Grace-Ella could have sworn that she heard her humming ‘Monster Mash’ to herself as she followed her up the driveway one morning.

  It seemed that a touch of magic had done St Winifred’s the world of good.

  On Saturday evening, Penelope Pendle once again made an unexpected appearance in Grace-Ella’s bedroom.

  ‘Good evening. I’ve just dropped by to check that everything is going as it should be.’ She peered over the rim of her glasses at Grace-Ella. Grace-Ella swallowed. Did Penelope Pendle hold her gaze for a second longer than was normal? ‘And to inform you about your first witch camp.’

  She took a notepad and pen from her cloak pocket.

  ‘Now, first things first. How are you getting along with your cat? Is it a good working partnership?’

  Grace-Ella adored Mr Whiskins and couldn’t imagine life without him.

  ‘Oh yes,’ she said. ‘He’s perfect. He’s very helpful and we have lots of fun together. He’s the best cat I could ever have wished for.’

  ‘Good. Then Mr Whiskins shall remain as your black cat. That saves a lot of time and bother. We do have some witch-cat partnerships that, well, how should I put it … are highly mismatched. Only last week, we had a cat feed his witch a potion that turned her into a mouse and he gobbled her up. It was quite a palaver to retrieve the poor girl.’

  She scribbled quickly on the notepad. ‘Secondly, have you worked your way carefully through “Spells for Beginners?’’’

  ‘I’ve tried every spell and have managed to make each one work,’ Grace-Ella said.

  ‘Excellent. And you have been casting them correctly? In private?’

  Once again she peered directly at Grace-Ella, who began to feel a little nervous. She was still certain that she hadn’t broken any of the Council’s rules, yet Penelope Pendle’s stare was making her uneasy. Grace-Ella nodded slowly.

  ‘Hm hm…’ said Penelope Pendle as she scribbled once again on the notepad. ‘If you pass the “Spells for Beginners” test at witch camp, you can move on to “Intermediate Spells”, which will of course be far more powerful and will need greater care. Now thirdly, how are you managing your potions?’

  ‘No major hiccups … oh … well … perhaps one or two needed a little tweaking, but mostly they’ve been successful as well.’

  ‘Splendid. Everything seems to be shipshape here, which is what we like at the Academy.’

  She closed the notepad and placed it back in her pocket. ‘You do always keep the Council’s rules in mind, I’m sure. Because it’s so easy to forget sometimes … to get swept along in the excitement of a situation. Always remember that breaking the rules will have consequences.’ She paused. Grace-Ella held her breath. Was she about to get punished? ‘And we wouldn’t want that to happen. Not when everything seems to be going so well.’

  Grace-Ella shook her head.

  ‘Excellent. Perhaps re-reading some of the case studies in the book would be a good idea. It’s always good to refresh the memory. But like I said, everything seems to be in order here and I think you’re ready for Witch Camp. You’ll receive a letter with all the details in the next few days and a map with directions. Any questions?’

  Grace-Ella wanted to ask what would happen if she failed her tests at Witch Camp. She couldn’t help but worry as she was so used to failing her tests in school. But before she had a chance to speak, Penelope Pendle had once again disappeared in a puff of purple smoke.

  ‘Do you think she was hinting that I’d almost broken the rules?’ Grace-Ella asked Mr Whiskins after Penelope Pendle had vanished. ‘It seemed like that to me. But she can’t possibly know that I’ve told Bedwyr and Fflur, can she?’

  Mr Whiskins stretched and yawned. ‘I think you’re worrying about nothing.’

  ‘But it was like she was trying to say something, wasn’t it? And I remember you once warned me to beware that there could be eyes and ears lurking everywhere. Maybe they have a way of seeing everything I do. I mean, they are the cleverest witches in the world.’

  ‘If she thought you’d broken the rules she would have said so and she would have given you a proper warning. She was just giving you a friendly reminder, that’s all.’

  ‘Maybe,’ said Grace-Ella, feeling a little better. ‘Anyway, you’ll be coming to Witch Camp with me, won’t you?’

  ‘Of course,’ he replied. ‘We cats need to meet up every now and again as well.’

  ‘I’m looking forward to going, but I’m a bit scared as well. I hope I do OK. I really don’t want to be a failure. I wonder if I’ll make any new friends there?’ She settled down in bed, wondering what adventures awaited her at Witch Camp.

  Being a witch had changed Grace-Ella’s life. She had the pet that she’d always longed for. She had managed to do something that her mother was proud of. She was actually enjoying learning something new and now that Amelia was leaving her alone, school wasn’t such a dread anymore. And she was having the most fun that she’d ever had in her life.

  Yes, a witch’s life was definitely the one for Grace-Ella.

  About the Author

  Sharon Marie Jones grew up in mountainous North Wales. As a child, she listened in wide-eyed wonderment to local tales about giants and had her very own fairy door on the crab apple tree at the bottom of the garden. She is Mam to three boys and worked as a Primary School teacher for twelve years, before finally allowing herself to pursue that magical dream of becoming an author. She now happily gazes out of the window and writes full time.

  *

  Adribel was born in Argentina. She has lived in Granada in Spain since 1995 with her husband, son, daughter, two dogs, a guinea pig, a little bird, and several fish.

  She has always drawn. When she decided on a career she chose architecture — she was wrong! Because she wanted tell stories. So she abandoned that, and began to study drawing humorous cartoons and caricatures in Buenos Aires. That’s where she found her strengths: the line, the design of characters and her humour.

  Adribel loves telling stories. As ideas often come at unexpected moments, she always keeps paper and pencils in her pockets, at home or in the car. She sometimes jots down a few words or a sketch, but usually both.

  Copyright

  First published in 2016 by Firefly Press

  25 Gabalfa Road, Llandaff North, Cardiff, CF14 2JJ

  www.fireflypress.co.uk

  Text © Sharon Marie Jones

  Illustrations ©Adriana Juárez Puglisi

  The author and illustrator assert their moral right to be identified as author and illustrator in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patent Act, 1988.

  All rights reserved.

  This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form, binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being
imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

  All characters in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  A CIP catalogue record of this book is available from the British Library.

  ISBN 9781910080429

  ebook ISBN 9781910080436

  This book has been published with the support of the Welsh Books Council.

  Designed by Claire Brisley

  Printed and bound by Pulsio Sarl